Hell or High Water (2016)

Hell or High Water (2016)

Words from the writer

Hey, whats up guys. Back again with another movie review. This time I’m talking about ‘Hell or High Water’. Forewarning, this review does contain a lot of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen this film, or are planning to watch it, do that first! Then come back and read this review. I saw this movie recently on my phone.

A quick summary of this movie is pretty much; a divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family’s ranch in West Texas. Thats pretty much the story in a nutshell. Almost like a tradition concept of a western film, but a modern take on cops and robbers type stories.

Image Credit: IMDB

Movie production

Release Date:

26 August 2016 (USA)

Language

English

Country of Origin

USA

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Motion picture rating:

Rated R for some strong violence, language throughout and brief sexuality

Image Credit: IMDB

Review

All right let’s talk about ‘Hell or High Water’. The movie shows a connection with two brothers but ultimately shows a connection with the whole community. I feel that Texas is a different part of the US that I’m used to, and the film almost gives me a glimpse of how life is there. I don’t mean people rob banks and stuff all day. I mean that the details and the limitations create these type of people, and change the rules of society.

The movie follows the two brothers robbing banks, and you feel so emotionally connected to them by the end. Director and old school actor Clint Eastwood helped with this film, and I would consider this film to be a modern day western. I can see the resemblance with the old clint Eastwood films and this film. From the town people carrying their own guns to the tumbleweeds in the (what looks like) abandoned towns this visit

Good

The film has great cinematography. I liked that this movie showed tiny details that show how to lifestyle is in the town. From the bank not having video cameras, to the bank tellers reacting tot he brothers as just common dumb people. From the acting performance, I can say that all three of the main actors: Jeff bridges, Ben Foster, Chris Pine we ‘oscar’ great. These guys need to win some awards for these performances.

The movie takes it’s time to tell the story of these characters. It’s slow, but a really good slow. By taking their time with these scenes we can take in the environment and the realism. I really admire the way they made this film.

Major attention to detail with this film. You can feel the richness and texture that the town and the characters give off. The structure of the film also says a lot about the payoff of each scene. I felt myself actually cheering for these guys by the end of the film (Although, I knew they couldn’t fully get away with stuff like this). There isn’t a single character that felt unnecessary for each scene. Some of my favorite parts of the film were the short interactions with Gil Birmingham’s character and Jeff Bridges’ character. The almost racist conversations that they have about Indians and white Americans are nothing but genius to show the gray areas about what is bad ideology and what is good ideology.

Bad

The story seems drawn out for too long. I know that some people may feel this is way too slow, but just taking the beautiful cinematography and it makes up for it right away. The language and the dialogue can sometimes be hard to hear. I’m talking about most of the lines by Jeff Bridges. It is pretty hard to make out what he’s saying if you’re not watching this with subtitles. This was definitely a traditional ‘cops and robbers’ type movie.

Last words

OK guys, seriously, go watch the film and support the company. It may be hard to find this movie playing near you at the time of this review. If the movie is already out of the movie theater, or if you’re like me and watch everything on your phone/tablet, be sure to check out the Google play movies. They have an awesome collection of movies and deals on a regular basis.

Don’t be a pirate and steal movies for no reason. Just support and watch art like a dignified person. Also if you live under a rock and haven’t seen the trailer yet, be sure to check out the movie trailer here. Like or hate the review I did? Have a question, comment, or concern? Let me know in the comment below. Don’t forget to also check out other movie reviews on The EXP Grind.

The Good

The film has great cinematography

It's slow, but a really good slow

Major attention to detail with this film

The Bad

The story seems drawn out for too long

The dialogue can sometimes be hard to hear

Film was released in select theatres

9.5

Written by: Christian Galvez

Christian is the founder of The EXP Grind. He is interested in Movies, Music, Video Games, Anime, and just about anything in Arts and Entertainment. He tries to find art with true meaning and hopes to reach more creative professionals.